Gorets

Gorets was an armed group under the command of Movladi Baysarov. It was originally a subunit of the separatist Islamic Special Purpose Regiment and played a key role in the illegal oil trade in Chechnya (earning it the name “the oil regiment”). At the start of the Second Chechen War, it switched to the Russian side, where it was initially notionally subordinate to the Security Service of Akhmat Kadyrov and later to the Directorate of the FSB for Coordinating the Conduct of the Counterterrorism Operation. However, it enjoyed considerable independence but lacked a formal legal status. In February 2006, the Directorate was abolished; Gorets refused to subordinate itself to forces loyal to Ramzan Kadyrov and became embroiled in an escalating conflict with the Chechen leader. Between March and April 2006, some of its fighters transferred to the Interior Ministry’s Yug and Sever Battalions. In September 2006, remaining fighters were besieged in its base town of Pobedinskoye. The unit was de facto abolished when Baysarov was killed in Moscow in November 2006 (RIA Novosti, 2006; Sokirianskaia, 2024:215-216).

Leadership

• Movladi Baysarov (1999-2006)